Signaling devices are customarily used to forewarn locomotive operators of men and equipment working, unsafe rail or track conditions. Electronic signal devices are commonly used at certain selected and accessible sites for this purpose. These electronic devices are costly to install and maintain. Consequently, track portions within some rail systems remain unserviced by signaling devices. Unfortunately, these sophisticated signal systems can not warn approaching trains or temporary speed restrictions, men and equipment working on or about the tracks and conditions unsafe for traffic.
Accidental, vandalism, wear and attrition, climatic, geological and other mechanical rail failure sources frequently create hazardous or unsafe rail conditions. Since substantial time and distances are required to stop trains, governmental regulations mandate that temporary warning devices be appropriately positioned along the track at appropriate times and emergencies to inform and instruct the operating personnel of such unsafe or hazardous conditions ahead. A conventional flagging device typically includes a base portion which either simply rests upon the ground surface or is adapted to be driven into the ground along the track siding which supports a signaling flag and the flag bearing staff or staffs. These flagging devices are frequently installed at remote and unattended sites.
Notwithstanding the use of these mandated devices for several decades, a number of inherent defects and problems have arisen through the use of these flagging devices. Since railroad operating personnel must necessarily rely upon such temporary flagging devices, it is of paramount importance that these devices remain intact throughout the entire duration of their intended use. A particular troublesome problem involves the inability to maintain these temporary devices in proper flagging position. Environmental conditions (e.g. flooding, wind, animals, erosion, earthquakes, land slides, wash outs, etc.), human factors (e.g. vandalism, theft, etc.) and other natural and/or unnatural factors can readily dislodge such devices from their original setting. The problem is further compounded by the fact that the device must be sufficiently compact in size so as to permit its portability to the desired site. This places limitations upon the supportive structure for maintaining an appropriate flagging position. The preferred temporary flagging devices are simply driven into the ground. Unfortunately, trackway is often laiden with rocks, uneven and sloping shoulders or frozen which makes it difficult, if not impossible, to achieve the appropriate supportive footing or grounding of the device onto the track site. Notwithstanding a long felt need for a safer, more secure, tamper-proof, portable and stowable flagging device, the over-all design and structure of these devices have remained essentially unchanged.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,747,278 to Zawyrachia discloses a detachable flag signaling device adapted for securance onto a rail. This device includes a flat metal base designed to slide beneath the rail, an upwardly projecting and fixed hooked or flanged section positioned at a terminal end of the base which hooks over and rests onto one of the upper edges of the rail base, an oppositely adjustable flanged or hooked member (which may be manually slid along the metal base section so as to hook onto upper opposite edge of the rail base) fitted with a set screw to tighten the manually adjusted flanged member onto the base. The rail engaging portions of this signaling device relies upon the flanged areas which primarily hang or rest upon the top edges of the rail base. The device is not designed to rigidly secure onto the rail and therefore is susceptible to dislocation along the rail base or by loosening of the set screw. Although this device had been known for more than a half-century, it has neither been extensively used nor considered suitable for adaptation to modern day railroads. The device is of a lightweight construction without affording sufficient means for rigidly securing it onto the rail. Accordingly, it fails to include protective safeguards against unauthorized or unintentional dislocation of the device from the rail. This device incorporates a system that houses three different signaling flags which when displayed could easily be altered (such as by vandalism, human error or other unnatural causes) to project a different flag other than the one intended. The over-all means for securing the Zawyrachia device onto the rail prevents it from effective adaptation to a modern rail system. If unattended, the Zawyrachia device would be readily prone to displacement by factors inherently arising out of and caused by modern day rail systems. This may be exemplified by the fact that older rail systems primarily relied upon relatively short rail spans firmly secured onto the railroad ties and firm or solid rail bed. The older tracks were designed to support relatively light car loads carried upon railroad cars of a short wheel base. In contrast, modern day trackage utilize continuous welded tracks of extremely long lengths designed for railroad cars having a substantially greater weight bearing capacity and longer wheel bases. Correspondly, the axle pressure created at the wheel contact interface onto the rail is considerably greater than that encountered under the older systems. The modern day tracks are thus subjected to considerably more flexing and vertical movement (e.g. floating) than encountered under the older systems. Comparatively, modern trackage upon passage of a train will thus undergo a significantly higher order of stress, impact, attrition, wear and tear than the older rail systems. Track engaging components which are not structured or designed to withstand such strenuous tracking conditions as created by modern day rail systems are thus inherently susceptible to mechanical failure. Poorly or loosely fitting track engaging components (e.g. such as disclosed by Zawyrachia) become especially susceptible to mechanical fatigue and failure within the passage of a few trains thereupon. Many early mechanical devices suitable for adaptation to the older rail systems (e.g. such as the device disclosed by Zawyrachia) are thus inherently unsuited for adaptation to a modern rail system.
Several references have disclosed various modified forms of flag holding devices. U.S. Pat. No. 2,441,875 to Faber discloses an extensible and collapsible flag holder which include a tubular open-ended member capable of retaining a rolled-up trainman's safety signal flag. U.S. Pat. No. 2,499,874 to Peterson discloses a holder with a rolled-up signal flag for planting along the right of way of railroads, which comprises a hollow cylindrical flag housing section and a smaller diameter rod section fitted with an anchoring rod end. The holder has an apertured cross bar for securing it to a wall or the like. U.S. Pat. No. 1,396,787 to Shepard discloses a signal flag comprised of a handle having a spiral groove, a sleeve slidably mounted upon the handle, a pin carried by the sleeve and movable within said groove, means for holding the sleeve fixed upon the handle at the limit of movement in either direction, and a connection between the sleeve and flag for holding it taunt in its extended position.
The temporary railroad signaling devices have remained essentially unchanged over the past several decade, notwithstanding a need for more reliable, tamper-proof, safer and portable flagging device. This need is accentuated by the substantial operating personnel reductions which have occured within the railroad industry within recent years. Regional division centers and maintenance crews (as opposed to local roadmasters and crews) currently bear the primary responsibility for servicing vast territories within a particular railroad system. A compact, stowable flagging devices which could be expeditiously transported and installed at a remote site and which would permanently remain at the site as originally installed until removed by the railroad personnel would afford definitive safety and economical advantages.